If you are an electrician, a technician, or simply someone who wishes to work on an electrical project around the house, you will find that wires frequently need to be stripped so that their ends may be exposed enough to connect to additional wiring or terminals. This is efficiently achieved through the usage of wire strippers, which are designed specifically to cut and strip electrical wires from their plastic coating. I jut bought a pair myself for some of the electrical stuff I do around the house. They’re awesome. Check the out.

A wire stripper is composed of two opposing blades which are typically surrounded in rubber casing near the bottom to ensure the user can maintain a safe, secure grip on the tool. The blades are usually made of steel and have a notch between them. The notch is used to cut and remove the insulation of a wire without applying a cut to the actual wire. The size of the notch can vary so that it may adjust to a number of different wire gauges, which are typically printed along the side of the wire. A wire stripper is used by squeezing the handles around a wire and making a rotating movement until a cut is made in its coating. After that, removing the coating should be a simple task.

If a user is not particularly mechanically inclined, there are many automatic wire strippers available on the market to allow increased ease of use. These reduce the work exerted by the user by only requiring the user to squeeze the handles of the wire stripper. After that has been done, the twisting motion is smoothly carried out for the user. This is especially handy for the elderly or for people who have arthritis. The automatic route is somewhat limited, however, because it typically only offers application to thinner wires.

How easily a job is executed can greatly depend on the quality and intended functions of the tools used. When picking out wire strippers, it is wise to be thoroughly informed of the different types available so that the best fit can be found for the job. Remember to always read the packaging of wire strippers so that you are sure of their intended use. If you are not buying an adjustable wire stripper, try to memorize the sizes of the wires you are planning to strip and compare them to the suggested gauges on the packaging. A purchase of a wire stripper that does not coincide with the gauges of the wire may cause the user frustration and risks being a waste of time and money.

Depending on the circumstances of the job needed to be done, it may also be important to take note of the make and model of a wire stripper. One brand for wire strippers that is commonly accepted as professional and reliable is Klein, but with its quality comes a higher price tag, and it might not be ideal to spend much if the tool will only be used for casual work. Purchasing a wire stripper from a generic but trustworthy brand is a great alternative, and is still sure to become an indispensable part of one’s toolbox.

This research and development study was undertaken to design, develop, and assess a board game on self management of diabetes mellitus for individuals between the ages of eight and twelve with Type I diabetes. The purpose of the study was to impart information relevant to the cognitive and affective aspects of the disease, reinforce self responsibility, and emphasize the support roles of the health care team, parents, siblings, and peers.

Two hundred forty questionnaires were distributed and collected from individuals with Type I diabetes, relatives of these persons, and health care professionals who treat and educate individuals with the disease. Data relating to the critical components for self management, educational needs, and effects on the family, and individuals with the condition were ascertained from these questionnaires. Utilizing the collected data, the board game was developed.

The specifics of the disease were restricted to the pathophysiology, while content information was of a general nature that applied to the majority of individuals with Type I diabetes. A chronological assessment process was incorporated in the development of the prototype.

This process included a designer’s self evaluation, expert appraisal by health care professionals, and educators, field testing with intended audience and peers without diabetes. An adaptation of the Diabetes Knowledge Scales was used to pre/post test players. The data were analyzed using frequency data for correct responses.

The findings indicated a difference in all groups after playing the game. In addition, observational data revealed that playing the game produced a positive interaction among players, a desire to learn more about the disease, and clarified content information needed to manage the condition. It was concluded that the game provided an effective alternative for educating individuals about diabetes regardless of age. Furthermore, it identified misconceptions about the disease as well as individuals with Type I diabetes who had not accepted responsibility for care. For more on board games similar to this post please view: http://www.greymatterstrivia.com/

Cooperative game theory studies the complex strategic interactions of various economic environments when the players are allowed to join groups or coalitions, and the worth of those coalitions is given. The “core” of a cooperative game is a set of payoffs to the players which contain the distributions of worth in which no coalition receives less than their worth in the game. Assignment games are a special kind of cooperative games in which the players are of two distinct types, and the worth of the two-player coalitions which contain one player of each type is given. The core of an assignment game will always have at least one payoff in it and will therefore never be empty.

A three-sided assignment game is an extension of the assignment game in which the players are of three distinct types, and the worth of the three-player coalitions containing one player of each type is given. An important distinction between ordinary assignment games and their three-sided extensions is that the core of a three-sided assignment game can be empty. Little has been written to date about these three-sided assignment games.

This dissertation determines conditions under which three-sided assignment games will have nonempty cores based on the worth assigned to the three-player coalitions. Examples and applications are included. An analysis is made of the probability and nature of a nonempty core in random three-sided assignment game when the number of players on two of the three sides is allowed to increase without bound. Case studies involving the specific conditions for a nonempty core and probability of a nonempty core for certain small three-sided assignment games are also included. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to the nature and applicability of three-sided assignment games along with proposals for further research.

The is an intersection between musical performance and recording technology, using rock music here as the primary form of music discussed. The invention and evolution of electronics and recording has profoundly affected the definition, nature, and experience of musical performance, for both performer and listener. Electronics and recording have changed what we know as music, musical sounds, and performance. Electronically mediated music is a new form of music, previously unknown to humankind. Because rock music depends on electrically powered electronic instruments for its characteristic sound and on machines to record those sounds, it is by definition an electronically mediated music. The history of recording, postmodernism, Applied Kinesiology, and Chaos Theory are used as contexts for examining these issues.

The audio recording process engenders alterations in “live,” linear musical performance, including its form, content, siting in time and space, and creation. Issues addressed include: the collaborative roles of producer, engineer, and recording artist; composition; performance; reproduceability; copyright; sampling; a comparison of acoustic vs. analog and digitally recorded musical sounds, and the disparity between how rock music is created and how it is presented in live concerts. In order to understand the impact of new technologies on the performing, recording, and playing of rock music, it is necessary to understand the recording process. The evolution of recording technology and musical electronics, and how each technological advancement affected musical performance in and outside the studio is closely examined. The two main contentions of the dissertation are: the recording studio process has created a new collaborative performer trio which replaces the traditional solo musical performer; and the full ramifications of this shift in musical performance on the performer and listener have not yet been carefully and fully examined.

The extensive survey, synthesis, and analysis of the research and literature of the fields of music, musical performance, rock music, recording technology and production, sound, acoustics, applied kinesiology, physics, and medicine are important as well as personal interviews were conducted with producers, engineers, performers, acousticians, psychiatrists, and physicists.

In order to create a rhetorical perspective by which to understand and analyze music as aesthetic communication we look at Susanne Langer’s theory of aesthetic symbolism as it relates to music as a mode of communication. Once the rhetorical perspective for analyzing music as communication has been depicted, the perspective is operationalized to analyze music from two contemporary social movements in the United States. The music analyzed in this dissertation comes from the Neo-Nazi Skinhead movement and the New Age movement. By approaching music as aesthetic communication in this way, the reader is able to determine how music can communicate, as well as how it is used as a mode of communication in these two social movements. Further, the value of this rhetorical perspective as a means by which to understand and analyze music as communication is ascertained.

Several conclusions may be drawn. First, we further the inquiry offered in existing literature with regard to analyzing music as communication. By approaching the procedure from an aesthetic perspective, this dissertation provides a means by which to analyze music as it may communicate using both lyrical content and musical score, as well as how music can communicate without lyrical content. In addition, based on the data in this dissertation, this author confirms the ideas presented in the existing literature that music communicates for social movements. Finally, this author concludes that music does communicate for the Neo-Nazi Skinhead movement and for the New Age movement.

Pub trivia games are becoming an increasingly popular weekly event for many people. From college students to working professional to retirees, people of all ages enjoy pub trivia nights. Many local pubs or bars will hold a weekly pub trivia contest. These typically take place on the same night each week, and sometimes coincide with drink specials or other deals.

Pub trivia games like my favorites at Pub Stumpers are run by a DJ who, along with playing tunes, also provides challenging questions. Individuals may compete alone, or in groups. Some pubs may have a limit to the number of people that may form a group but other pubs allow groups of any sizes. Joining up with strangers can be a fun way to meet new friends. Together groups may confer to try and come up with the answer to the questions. There are typically about ten questions each round, and usually two rounds to a pub trivia game. There is a few minutes given after a question is read, during which a song is usually played, for a group to come up with the answer. Groups write their guesses down, along with their team name, and bring them up to the DJ.

The kinds of questions asked at pub trivia games vary greatly. In general, the questions are Jeopardy style, with a wide range of topics covered. Sample topics may include history, sports, literature, current events, and entertainment or popular culture. Sometimes a particular theme is chosen to reflect an upcoming holiday or event, such as Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Super Bowl. Individuals are not allowed to use cell phones to call people, or look up answers on the Internet during a pub trivia game and this is typically enforced by the pub’s staff and DJ.

The DJ does the scoring for pub trivia games and announces the scores for all of the teams periodically. Sometimes questions have multiple parts, and there is usually a chance for groups to wager their points on the final question. The friendly competition of pub trivia games usually creates lots of laughing and rivalry, particularly when individuals or groups become regular attenders. Many pubs offer prizes for the top three teams, usually in the form of gift cards or cash. Often pub trivia games are free to enter, though some that have cash prizes may charge a nominal entry fee, such as a few dollars per team.

People are able to find pub trivia competitions that are offered at local pubs, restaurants, or bars in their area by searching the internet. There is no commitment when entering these competitions, individuals may go as frequently or infrequently as they choose, and one-time attenders are welcome. Getting together with friends, or going alone and making new ones, is a great reason to attend a pub trivia competition. The games allow people to enjoy a few drinks, or a bite to eat, chat and put their brain to the test in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

A current debate in music education centers on whether music education is governed by performance or theory. Joseph Schwab attempted to resolve the conflict between the practical and theoretic as sources for curriculum. It was found that Schwab’s proposal for the practical is not accurate or adequate as a source for curriculum.

J. S. Bach and John Cage are recognized as prime representatives of competing viewpoints of music style. It was argued that a description of alternative characterizations of music can provide a basis for identifying and describing the subject matters of music education. It was found that in the demonstrably different alternative music styles of Bach and Cage theory informs performance. For both Bach and Cage, the source of performance was theory, expressed through symbolic language, that is, a system of notation.

If music depends on symbols and if organized combinations of symbols form a symbolic language and if the symbolic language is a form of communication which informs performance and if performance is organized sound moving through time, then the symbolic language of music constitutes the theoretic. If the symbolic language informs performance, then symbolic language informs music education.

If there is to be systematic program development in music education, music education must describe the diverse symbolic languages of music, not only of Bach and Cage, but also of other music styles. The accurate description of a range of symbolic languages precludes a narrow focus and permits the choice of alternative subject matters for music education. The accurate description of a range of symbolic languages is the source of choice of musical performance. If music theory is represented in diverse symbolic languages of music, then the diverse symbolic languages of music are the source of subject matters for music education.

Batman Arkham Asylum begins with the end of another hero’s chase that resulted in the capture of arch-rival the Joker. This time the task seemed too easy and the hero suspects that the Joker has some ace up its sleeve. Like always, this evil villain’s plan soon goes in progress and he attempts to take control of Arkham cities Asylum, the sanatorium for highly dangerous and insane criminals. It’s up to Batman to save the city, where the adventure then percolates through the huge complex – which includes six large buildings full of laboratories, dungeons and secret passages – and thwart the criminals plans, from other illustrious comic villains such as Bane, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and the Crocodile.

On his journey through the dangerous halls of Arkham, the player must divide their attention between three basic aspects. The first is the combat system that is so easily accessible, that it may seem simplistic and silly at first, but soon reveals far more absorbent with the introduction of armed villains, which require a more strategic approach. Batman may strike, counter-attack, stun and use some special moves. Pressing the punch button carelessly often works, but to get the best out of combat – and earn more experience points which guarantee equipment upgrades – it is essential not to interrupt your combos and aim the attacks with precision and perfect timing.

One more point is the need of staying invisible. Batman is still a common man and even with his armored suit, he is able to die by taking a sharp burst of gunfire. So it’s important to walk quietly in the shadows, to address the armed thugs on the basis of the scare. The game gives the player lots of freedom to plan their attack and the hero can, for example, land on the enemies to hit them with a well-aimed kick or hook any bad guys with his bat-hook.

Given the disappointing hindsight of previous games starring Batman, Batman Arkham Asylum is surprising. It is Dark Knight’s final game, which not only provides mechanical and solid ambiance, but also honors the complex and intricate mythology of the hero.

With first class production, Batman Arkham Asylum is easily one of the most interesting and engaging games of 2009, whether you’re a fan of the character or not.

This is my first post on the recently acquired domain of PeyoteTapes.com. I want to start a blog about all things that interest me. Whether that is gaming in the form of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, or computers and music. See the sky is the limit when it comes to writing and I don’t like to tie myself down to just one subject. So, here comes the braingasm as I introduce myself.

My Start with Gaming

I started off console gaming with the Sega Genesis back in the early 90′s. Not only was I huge Sonic fan, but I grew to appreciate some favorites like ‘Cool Spot’ and ‘Double Dragon’. I spent countless hours with my cousin trying to master each level before we couldn’t play anymore. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t the only thing I did, but it sure as hell was a ton of fun and took a lot of my time.

Nintendo 64

Christmas of 96 (I believe) saw me opening a brand new Nintendo 64. I received Wayne Gretzky’s 3D hockey and 1080 snowboarding. Once again, these were both tremendous titles and I found myself playing for hours and hours. Eventually, Goldeneye 007 was released and gaming was reinvented forever. I remember battling my friends on split screen multiplayer, where we attempted every scenario and battled on each and every level. This game was so groundbreaking and mind blowing at the time, we thought it couldn’t get better. That is until I purchased my next system.

The Sega Dreamcast

I was the ultimate Sega fan boy growing up and couldn’t stand the fact that I missed out on the Saturn. My redemption came in the form of the Sega Dreamcast.

The first time I saw this system was at an exhibit in the Epcot area of Disney world circa 1998. I knew right then and there that I had to start saving. I spent the whole summer cutting lawns and walking dogs to scrape up enough money for the coveted Sega Dreamcast.

My efforts were rewarded and on September 9th, 1999 I received my very own Dreamcast. Only one other kid in the school had one, so we were sure to trade some games and join forces to battle it out on multiplayer. Everything about the system had me in total awe from the groundbreaking graphics, to the well designed controller and interfaces.

I had a lot of memories on the Dreamcast…most of which were playing Toy Commander or NFL2k. I hope Sega is able to make some systems again in the future, they had some really great ideas.

Enter the Microsoft Xbox

The original Xbox was another system I wanted for a very long time. I remember when the demo kiosk was setup at the local target, and how amazing I thought the console was. The controller seemed similar to my dreamcast controller with a more efficient layout, and the graphics were out of this world.

I was lucky enough to receive an Xbox system for Christmas of 2001, complete with three games and two controllers. I received Halo, Project Gotham, and NFL Fever 2002. Each game won a special place in my heart.
Halo was yet another ground breaking experience. For some reason, I was uaware of the hype surrounding the game and didn’t know what to expect. My cousin came over and we decided to give the co-op a shot.
Approximately 11 hours later and the campaign was finished. Our minds were blown, and we were both fans for life.

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Gaming Today

After playing and owning the original Xbox for years, I decided to purchase the Xbox 360 instead of the PS3. I felt that blu ray was something that I did not need, and that the Halo franchise was to good to pass up. Not only that, but I was already a live member, my friends at various colleges also choose the 360, and I was not living the wealthiest of lives.

I’ve had a 360 ever since and wouldn’t change that for the world. I have since picked up a slim PlayStation 3 because I saw it over on this Video Game Deals site on sale. I still use both systems and have friends on each. I still love the Halo franchise, but due to the stresses of work and graduate school, I do not have as much time to play as I once did.

Nevertheless, I am still a gaming junky and enjoy reading the latest news and following the latest Xbox 360 deals on Game Exchange and Amazon. I’m proud of my gaming history and can’t wait to have a son who enjoys gaming as much as I once did. I think when fun is kept in moderation it can provide a good balance in life. I can’t wait to see where technology is going and have no doubt that video game console manufacturers will continue to impress with new graphics and technology. The Kinect looks wonderful, and I can’t wait for the launch of the rumored Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4. Once again, I’m sure my mind will be blown and that I will get sucked back into the gaming trap.
I appreciate you for reading my post here on peyotetapes.com. God bless.